Arlin Markowitz*
Executive Vice President, Urban Retail Team
Lic. *Sales Representative
Professional Experience
Associated Office
Arlin Markowitz founded the Urban Retail Team when he joined CBRE in 2015 and continues to lead it today. The team consists of 7 members and has a market-dominant position in downtown Toronto. Throughout his 20-year real estate brokerage career in both leasing and sales, he’s burnished a reputation as the country's premier urban retail specialist and has represented many of the world’s most recognizable brands as well as Toronto’s top landlords.
He was born and raised in Toronto and focuses on Canada’s urban high streets, mixed-use developments, and the best-performing malls. As a leasing agent, he has represented both retailers and landlords, placing Supreme ,Valantino Hermès , The Bank of Nova Scotia, Tiffany & Co , Gentle Monster , Saint Laurant , and Arc’teryx in some of the country’s most coveted addresses. He has also assisted many international brands, including Muji and Equinox on their entry into the Canadian market.
Mr Markowitz has executed approximately $1B of investment sales in Toronto. Select notable sales transactions include:
- 110 Bloor St. W. on behalf of H&R REIT sold to ProWinko – $79 MM
- 19 Bloor St t W. on behalf of The Bank of Nova Scotia sold to a private European investor – $72 MM
- 83-95 Bloor St W land assembly sold to RioCan Reit and Parallax Developments – $160 MM
Mr Markowitz is sought after as a retail consultant to many real estate developers, aiding them with site selection and the extraction of maximum value from the commercial portions of their mixed-use developments. Prior to entering real estate, he worked in his family business, Davids and Capezio shoes. Retail is in his blood as he grew up on the sales floor in the family shop at the corner of Bay and Bloor in the Yorkville node of Toronto. This has been accretive to his understanding of retail real estate from a merchant’s lens and providing him with a deep understanding and personal connection to the Bloor -Yorkville district of Toronto.
Mr Markowitz is a graduate of Concordia University and is an active member of The International Council of Shopping Centers and sits on the Executive Broker Committee for CBRE Retail globally.
In addition to his professional achievements, Arlin is the National Chairman for The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem. As Chairman, Arlin is dedicated to supporting the organization’s mission to disseminate the universal lessons of the Holocaust across Canada through commemorative and educational activities. He and his wife, Shawna, are the proud parents of three children: Erez, Sadie, and Yael.
Toronto Urban Retail Team
Local Streetfront Expertise - Global Reach
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Streetfront Urban Retail • Investment Properties • Landlord and Buyer Representation • Retailer Representation
Our team, led by Senior Vice President Arlin Markowitz, specializing in Urban Retail and Investment Properties, provides seamless and comprehensive real estate brokerage services to premium urban property owners and retailers. Our professionals have a thorough understanding of the special requirements of retail properties in Downtown Toronto, with a specific niche in the luxury and streetfront space. Streetfront urban retail properties represent our core business.
Agency Brokerage • Listing Urban Retail Properties for Lease
The team provides landlord advisory services. We provide strategic planning when listing your property for lease and provide tenant mix advice, tenancy analysis, retail market analysis and ultimately, can position and market your property in a way which will ensure you extract its maximum value through our best in class lease listing platform. CBRE Urban Retail is backed by industry-leading research and analysis. Balancing the power of our global footprint with local expertise, we create competitive advantage that impacts our clients' bottom lines.
Investment Properties
We excel in the acquisition and disposition of income producing assets and infill land in downtown Toronto with specific expertise in the sale of the retail space at the base of condominiums and the sale of streetfront mixed use properties that combine retail and multi-residential components.
Urban Retailer Representation
Besides classic brokerage services such as lease negotiation and site selection, we provide our clients with best in class research, demographic and socioeconomic analysis, transportation patterns, pedestrian and vehicular traffic counts, gross occupancy cost planning, co-tenancy and competitor considerations, and market penetration strategy. Our goal is simple; we partner with our clients to understand fully their business objectives and creative innovative ways to optimize the value of their brand. Arlin’s previous experience in the footwear industry allows him to think like a retailer, specifically in the luxury market. The team’s retailer clients benefit from Arlin’s experience with luxury shoe retailer David’s Footwear, where he worked as a buyer, store manager and salesperson over a 6 year period.
What We Do
Streetfront Urban Retail
Our team, led by Executive Vice President Arlin Markowitz, specializes in Urban Retail and Investment Properties. We strive to provide seamless, comprehensive real estate brokerage services to premium urban property owners and retailers. Our professionals have a thorough understanding of the special requirements of retail properties in Downtown Toronto, with a specific niche in the luxury and streetfront space.
Agency Brokerage
CBRE Urban Retail is backed by industry-leading research and analysis. Balancing the power of our global footprint with local expertise, we create a competitive advantage that impacts your bottom line. We provide top-of-the-line landlord advisory services including strategic planning, tenant-mix advice, retail market analysis, tenancy analysis and ultimately, can position and market your property in a way which will ensure you extract its maximum value through our best-in-class lease listing platform.
Investment Properties
We excel in the acquisition and disposition of income producing assets and infill land in downtown Toronto with specific expertise in the sale of the retail space at the base of condominiums and the sale of streetfront mixed use properties that combine retail and multi-residential components.
Urban Retail Consulting
We provide our retailer clients with best-in-class research, demographic and socioeconomic analysis, transportation patterns, pedestrian/vehicular traffic counts, gross occupancy cost planning, co-tenancy & competitor considerations and market penetration strategy. Our goal is simple; we partner with retail brands to understand their business objectives and devise innovative strategies for maximizing the value of their brand. By securing optimal lease terms and prime locations, we empower our partners to realize their full potential – both in terms of profitability and brand excellence.
Retail Article Insights
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Explore key takeaways from CBRE's H1 2026 Canadian Retail Rent Survey, detailing demand in suburban markets, health services, and essential retail.
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CBRE’s Arlin Markowitz was in Las Vegas for the buzzy annual retail conference, where retail industry leaders and world-leading brands gather to network, talk trends and make deals.
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CBRE analysis shows FIFA World Cup brought mixed results for Toronto and Vancouver hotels, as room cancellations offset higher pricing momentum.
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The $9.4 billion acquisition of First Capital REIT by KingSett Capital and Choice Properties REIT represents an extremely rare opportunity in the Canadian marketplace,
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The vision CBRE’s Kate Camenzuli has for 290 Shuter, a three-storey, 7,471 sq. ft. brick-and-beam office building that’s being repositioned as a health and wellness centre
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CBRE’s Arlin Markowitz says Toronto’s retail landscape is being redefined by the rise of contemporary fashion and a boom in athleisure brands.
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From luxury shopping centres on the West Coast to state-of-the-art music venues in the nation’s capital, commercial real estate developments continue to reshape and positively impact cities across Canada.
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At NAIOP’s Rex Awards in June, CBRE along with Northcrest Developments and Hines won Investment Deal of the Year and Multi-Family Investment Deal of the Year for its work at YZD.
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CBRE, Hines and Equinox won Retail Lease of the Year at NAIOP’s Rex Awards for securing a flagship lease with luxury fitness brand Equinox at West House in Toronto’s King West neighbourhood.
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Hoverlink Ontario has a bold plan to connect St. Catharines, ON and Toronto via a 30-minute hovercraft ride across Lake Ontario, the first service of its kind in North America.
Toronto Retail Reports & Research
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CBRE’s H1 2026 Retail Rent Survey presents a snapshot of retail trends and rents for 11 cities across Canada.
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Shifting office market fortified by pervasive fundamentals
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Demand remains resilient as availability holds steady
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Year-to-date absorption reaches pre-pandemic levels in suburbs
My Team
Toronto Urban Retail Listings
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